


The Garnet Twins

by terminator82



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Corrupted Gems, Crystal Gems, F/F, F/M, Fight Scenes, Friendship, Greg is a good dad, Homeworld Gems - Freeform, M/M, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:42:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28105692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/terminator82/pseuds/terminator82
Summary: Once upon a time, there was Garnet. Then, there wasn't Garnet. She left in her place two beings, each unique and new as she had once been. Her existence had wrought a new age, as would her children. She was certain of it.Also:Protecting the Earth is a hard job, so it's a good thing no one has to go it alone. Pearl, Amethyst, and their dauntless leader Rose Quartz fought for all life on Earth. Rin and Cali, the children of one of the team's previous members, didn't do much fighting, but that was because their powers hadn't come in yet. Together, they were the Crystal Gems!
Relationships: Pearl/Rose Quartz (One Sided but not really it's complicated okay?), Rin & Cali, Rose Quartz/Greg Universe
Kudos: 8





	1. Prologue

The Earth was a special place. If displaced from it for any more than a year, one would come back to find that, despite their absence, everything had changed. Often times, this change was inherent; the fauna and flora of the planet were in constant motion, so it only made sense that they would change from time to time. However, the less prominent changes were often the ones that caught the eyes of any perceptive and intelligent being. The way that, even when forgotten and left behind, a toy abandoned in a faraway garden bleached in the sunlight. The ocean’s tides rose and fell in tandem with the moon, slowly washing away somebody’s favorite beach; somewhere else, another shore grew, and became somebody else’s favorite. Rain pelted at the lava rock, taking with it bits and pieces, each one carrying different experiences and perspectives. The water running from the mountain’s peak flowed in a stream, one which carved through the rough ground. The change was slow, but steady. Consistent. 

On such a planet, it would be impossible for its residents to remain stagnant. Organic life was different than that of a gem. In order to survive, a plant needed sunlight and water. For a mouse to survive, it needed to eat the plant. For a snake to live, it had to eat the mouse. The snake found contentment in its fullness until it was swooped up by an eagle. When the eagle inevitably died, it fell to the ground, where it was broken down into its baser parts by small creatures underneath the soil. The nutrients that had once helped this eagle to function were now kept underneath the ground, until a new plant absorbed them into its own being. It was a vicious cycle, unfit for the unworthy: grotesque in the eyes of outsiders.

To a pair of open eyes connected to an open mind, however, there was a greater lesson to be learned from the cycle of life and death. The ever-changing nature of Earth and its life set an example for those willing to watch and listen. 

Those with an open mind--those who let a different truth mesh with their own--were known as the Crystal Gems. It was only when gems rebelled against the walls put in place that they learned of freedom. Of change. Of love.

There was a soldier, kind and compassionate, who fought for something  _ she _ believed in, instead of what others told her to.

There was a servant, small and weak, who became greater than the role set for her; she took up the sword and dedicated her life not to a person, but to a cause.

There was a clairvoyant, revered by those who benefitted from her visions. She saw a single path that flowed in a straight line, without interruptions or variations.

There was a grunt, worth little. Expendable. She marched with two others, nearly identical to her, her purpose set in stone.

When the grunt saw that the clairvoyant was in danger, she pushed her purpose aside, and the two became one. Despite the rules, and despite the destiny the clairvoyant had seen, they came together and created somebody entirely new: someone not restricted by rules. Someone not simply following a path, but instead exploring a wide open world of possibilities. She was not Ruby, and she was not Sapphire. 

She was new. She was love.

She fought for this new form, and for the Earth. When the fighting was over, she lived. Really lived. No one told her what to do, or how to be. Her friends asked for her visions, but never demanded them. She was their equal: not at all expendable. Irreplaceable, even. She had taught, and she’d learned.

She’d been called the answer. But when that was called into question, so was all else. She left, and did not return for a long while. But when she did, it was with a different view. She’d learned to love herself, for herself. 

She  _ was _ the answer: not because Rose told her so, but because it was true. She was the answer, and the answer was love. 

She, fully and finally certain of herself, was ready to bring something else to the world. It wouldn’t be any greater or lesser than herself; it wouldn’t replace the seemingly perfect, yet blind answer she’d had for thousands of years. It would not be Garnet.

Instead, it would be something new. It wouldn’t be blind, but it would be naïve. It wouldn’t be perfect, but it would grow. It would sometimes lose its balance, but always find it again.

She had found a new answer.


	2. Pilot: Discovering Something New

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cali plays a practical joke on her brother.
> 
> Also:
> 
> Rin just wants his coffee.

Cali’s eyelids cracked open, but didn’t see much. It was still dark.

Perfect.

She swung her legs over the edge of her bed--she had the top bunk, because of course she did--and dropped to the floor as quietly as she could. Behind her, a light, gentle snore sounded. Cali rolled her eyes, before tip-toeing down the stairs, and into the kitchen.

Her brother Rin wasn’t a super easy guy to crack up. That’s exactly why it was so fun to try.

The girl opened a cabinet adjacent to the microwave, wincing and peering over her shoulder as it creaked. Inside, she found an array of mugs, divided into two groups. The ones on the right were hers. Her collection of mugs was much more of a frivolous one, as she didn’t really care for hot drinks. Instead, she kind of just liked looking at them. Her side of the cabinet was an eternal autumn, with vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows. Each mug had something snarky to add, but her favorite was a simple, ‘hot stuff.’ There was something about it that could never not make her giggle.

Once they were finished drinking in her beautiful collection, her eyes moved to the left. Her brother’s ‘collection’ of mugs was, by his choice, lacking in mugs. He had only three, and they were all plain. Cali reached in and grabbed one out; it was a bluish gray on the outside, but the inside was stained brown from coffee. She scrunched her nose up at the thought of drinking that liquid dirt, and Rin’s voice echoed through her head, _You’re just not mature enough to enjoy it._

Man, he wasn’t even awake yet, and he was already ticking Cali off.

She shook the thought out of her head and grabbed the other mugs from his side of the cabinet. Her footsteps were painfully loud in her ears as she made her way to the front door, which creaked open at the volume of a police siren.

Maybe she shouldn’t make that comparison in front of the gems.

She set the mugs on the porch’s railing and breathed in the cool, salty air. The sun was still down over the horizon, but Cali knew it wouldn’t be for much longer. It was fall in Beach City, and so the temperature was beginning to drop. It didn’t bother her much, as she’d always been resistant to the cold. In fact, Winter just so happened to be Cali’s favorite season. Somehow, a brisk wind was as comfortable as room temperature, and a blanket of snow may as well have been one she’d sleep under without a second thought. Ice was a Ruby’s antithesis, and yet… somehow, it felt comfortable in a way she couldn’t describe. Almost… familiar.

Cali looked at the mugs, lined up perfectly on the porch’s railing, and then down to her hands. The sun peeked over the great statue of obsidian that watched over beach city, and reflected off her gem. It glistened in the morning’s first ray, in a way she’d seen a few times before, but never when she wanted to.

It was frustrating, but she knew it’d come to her eventually. After all, she was a Ruby. Rubies knew all about fighting, and could summon their weapons no problem. They could use their gems without a second thought, so it only made sense that she’d be able to. Eventually.

She clenched her fists, and shook the thoughts from her head. The saltwater clashed with the sandy shore, but was no match for solid land. The ground repelled the water’s assault, stalwart. 

She finished her job, and the air was perfectly thin and cool. This was a perfect morning for a jog. Cali turned away from the mugs, and started down the porch stairs. Her shoes were waiting for her below the bottom stair, like always. She slipped them on quickly, and took off towards town.

The already chilly air cooled further as her body cut through it; in truth, this was much more of a sprint than a jog, but Cali didn’t tire easily. No, sometimes a jog wasn’t a quick enough pace to outrun the thoughts that followed her. Other times, though, it was just fun to pump her arms and legs, to feel that steady ache in her chest that accompanied a long distance run.

Her pace quickened as she reached the boardwalk, her feet finally finding solid ground to dig into. As the sun rose higher into the sky, the boardwalk’s last remaining vestiges of drowsiness left its people. Cali waved to the Frymans, who were preparing their fry shop for morning business. Peedee and Mr. Fryman returned her wave, but Renaldo didn’t seem to notice her at all. Yup. Nothing out of the ordinary there.

She held out her left hand as she passed by Fishstew Pizza, and a hand shot out from the shop’s front door. Cali gave the hand a crisp five as she blazed past.

Behind her, Kiki poked her head out the door and shouted after her. “You go, Girl!”

Cali threw her a thumbs-up from behind her back and kept running. Kiki would often accompany her on her runs, but they would often have to slow down or take a break. Normally, Cali wouldn’t have a problem with it, but today was just one of those days; she needed to push herself a bit.

She took a sharp right after passing the Beach City help center, and sprinted down the street. Since Beach City was such a small town, the citizens thereof rarely needed cars to get around, so Cali could run on the road uncontested. Unless Mayor Dewey showed up. Then she might have to scoot over a bit.

She took another sharp right, nearly having lapped the entire town. She passed the entirety of Funland in mere seconds, and flew past the old docks. She could see a familiar sign glowing dimly in the distance, _It’s a Wash!_ While it would be nice to drop by and visit Dad for a while, it was unlikely that he was awake this early in the morning.

Instead, she kept her pace, and bypassed the old car wash. It was the home stretch; she reached the edge of the boardwalk, and pushed off, her legs moving as fast as they would go. She huffed with effort as she struggled to propel herself forward despite the loose footholds the sand provided.

Suddenly, she felt something happen. Her eye caught the hint of a red gleam, and she slipped on something solid. Her momentum carried her forward a fair distance, and she did a few summersaults before coming to a stop.

“What the…” She muttered to herself sorely as she picked herself up off the sand. As she did, though, she noticed something strange: her breaths were fogging the air more than usual. As were her arms. And her legs. 

Cali was literally steaming hot. She breathed out again, and her breath traveled up into the air before disappearing.

She frowned confusedly, and wiggled her toes. She felt sand beneath her feet. Weird. She was sure she’d put shoes on that morning. She looked down and saw that her shoes, which had previously been in pristine condition, were disheveled, and partially melted.

Her confusion began to give way to excitement as she turned around, and spotted the thing she’d slipped on. In the sand laid a circular glob of glass, which definitely had not been there before. She walked over and picked it up: it radiated heat like a furnace.

Cali put two and two together, and excitement gave way to elation.

She turned on her heels, and darted toward the crystal temple, her new keepsake in tow.

* * *

Rin opened his eyes, and blinked. The familiar framing of Cali’s bed loomed overhead, as always. He turned his head to the right, just in time to watch the screen door close slowly. He blinked again, and reached for his phone. When he tapped the screen, it lit up the whole room, blinding him.

He blinked. It was 5:40 in the AM. Rin sighed, and his bones followed suit as he rolled out of bed. He tapped his phone’s screen again, and fiddled with it until the flashlight shone across the room. He stumbled down the stairs, squinty-eyed, and hobbled over to the lightswitch. He flipped it, and tapped his phone light back off.

He rubbed at his eyes, and a misty haze passed around and through his vision, weaving around the countertop before bouncing off the microwave. It flowed around for a while, before spreading to the farthest corners of his vision, and settling there.

Nothing out of the ordinary. He stretched his arms out, and grunted slightly at the soreness in them. He creaked the door open and peeked his head out.

“Cali?” He mumbled. His eyes focused on the three mugs sitting on the banister, and he recalled what his sister had said the previous night. _I think it’s gonna be a bit muggy tomorrow morning._

His habitual frown softened a bit, and he almost chuckled at his sister’s joke. Almost. No, this was actually kind of annoying, now that he thought about it. He’d have to wash these mugs again before he could have his coffee, and that meant he was gonna be half asleep until then. What if something happened? He would be unprepared. With no way to predict what was going to happen, he had no idea what he’d need to prepare for; Rin had to be prepared for anything, and Cali had compromised a vital part of that.

Plus, she’d delayed his coffee, which was, by all rights, not cool.

He stepped outside, and shivered slightly. It was getting to be winter, so he should really have thought to put more clothes on before going outside. Case and point: Rin needed his coffee.

He grabbed his mugs, and hurriedly brought them back inside. The kitchen sink was empty, courtesy of Pearl, so he could clean the ceramics without any extra hassle.

The hot water warmed his hands as he scrubbed away, and Rin found himself missing the sensation when he turned the faucet off. He yawned softly as the boiling water inside his coffeemaker crackled and popped. He stretched his arms out and popped his back, and he sniffed the air as the brown liquid poured into his glass.

Finally. His hands warmed as they grasped the sides of his drink; he could feel the heat flow through his arms, and in his face as the steam drifted upwards. As he took a sip, the warmth spread to his insides, where it swirled around like a soothing tempest. Rin smiled. It was almost like he was holding someone’s hand. Like he was feeling a warm embrace. Rin was by no means a morning person, but this was easily his favorite part of the day.

Rin’s reflections were interrupted by the simultaneous opening of the front door, and the temple door behind him. He stood up immediately and turned to face the latter.

“Good morning, children.” Rose Quartz stood in the temple’s doorway, her giant pink curls billowing in the slight draft her room created. Her eyes twinkled in the room’s light, and her movements spoke of inherent grace. She stepped forward, and the door shut behind her.

“Roseroseroseroserose!” Cali rushed the pink gem, and held what looked to be a hunk of glass in her hand. “Look! I melted the sand outside! I think it’s one of my powers!”

Rose’s lips curled upwards into a smile almost immediately. “Oh my stars! Your first power!”

Cali squealed. Rose squealed in return.

Rin sighed, and returned to his now lukewarm coffee.

“Amethyst, Pearl!” Rose cried. “Come out, this is so exciting!”

The temple door opened immediately. Rin peaked over to see the tall white gem exit her room. She held her hands in front of her chest, with her fingertips touching; she almost always took this posture when speaking to Rose.

“What is it?”

“I got my first power!” Cali roared. Rin could swear his coffee was rippling in his mug, just from the noise. He finished his first cup, and took the second outside, ignoring the ruckus as Amethyst, too, entered the house from her room.

All he wanted was a bit of peace and quiet. And hot coffee. He took a sip, and frowned as he realized that his drink was, in fact, not hot at all. Did he put ice in it?

Whatever. He shrugged and kept drinking it anyway. The sun was above eye level now, and thus had stopped shining reds and violets. Instead, it shone its usual yellow-orange, and painted the bay’s white sand a faint marigold. Rin found that colors were far more beautiful than shapes. Whether that was due to his terrible eyesight was still up for internal debate.

Rin sighed contentedly and took another sip. The mug was ice cold on his lips. Frowning, he set it down on the banister, where it immediately froze in place. Startled, he stepped away from it, only to find that his feet were entrapped in ice, as well. 

“What the hell?” Rin hastily broke free, and rushed down the stairs. His vision continued to swim as he started toward the beach. The small amount of grass surrounding the temple immediately frosted over behind him. 

As he reached the sun-bathed beach, he dropped to his knees. The sand was delightfully warm under the sun’s glow, and it eased Rin back to contentedness.

For, like, a minute.

“Rin?” He turned around to see Rose standing in front of the doorway. “Why is your cup frozen to the house?” She jumped up high and floated slowly down to him. “Oh, are you playing in the sand? That looks like fun.”

“Hey, um… Rose?”

She dropped to her knees alongside him and watched him intently. “Yes, Rin?”

“I think I just got my first power, too...”

The pink gem’s eyes widened by a mile: she grasped his shoulders and held him at arm’s length. “Really? Can you control it? What did you see? Are they coming?” She searched for the answer in his face, but only found confusion.

“What did I see…? They?”

She sighed and bit her lip, studying his face just to be sure. “I’m... sorry--I thought…” Rose sighed again, and all was quiet for a while, save for the ocean’s waves clashing with the shore. Even though it seemed as if the ocean’s assault had failed, the truth was that a part of the beach had been lost to it; the ocean would soon strike again. Her grip on him trembled before she let him go completely and returned to a normal sitting position. “Why don’t you tell me about it?”

Rin shook his head, still confused, and brushed the sand off his clothes. “Everything around me just started freezing: I didn’t know what was happening, and I don’t know how to do it again.”

“I see… That’s wonderful, Rin.” She stood up. “You should come inside, now. We’re going to have a little talk with you and your sister, okay?” Rose turned and strode toward the temple.

Rin noticed the absence of attention in her voice, but he didn’t blame her for it. After all, even though he heard what she said, it took him a few minutes to process it. As he climbed back up the stairs to the house, he caressed the blue gem in his hand. Even as he opened the door, something about its gleam appeared to be new. Entrancing, even. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! It took a while to get the ball rolling, but here we are. I've got a schedule set, and I'm hoping to release multiple chapters per week, at least for this first month. I hope you liked this first 'Pilot episode' I cooked up. Next time, we'll get into the real stuff. I hope you're as excited as I am!
> 
> Thanks for reading.


	3. Gem Glow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cali's favorite ice cream is gone forever. Or is it?
> 
> Also, the gems are attacked by giant bugs.

“But why?!”

“They just stopped.”

“There’s got to be something… Some way we can change this!”

“I’m sorry. There’s nothing we can do.”

“Oh, no…”

Cali heard a scoff behind her. “So they stopped making your favorite ice cream. It’s not the end of the world, Cali.” 

She turned to glare at her brother. “Cookie Cats are important to me, Rin!”

“Were.”

She groaned. “Can you  _ not _ be like this right now?”

“Be like what? Like myself?”

Behind the counter, one of the employees started shoving popcorn in his mouth. He offered his coworker some, but she politely declined.

“No, like a jerk! You’re always acting like you’re better than me just because you hate everything and I don’t!”

“I don’t hate everything…”

“As if you don’t. You don’t like running, or movies, or TV, or  _ anything! _ You’re basically heartless!”

He took a deep, shaky breath; as he did, a dry chill spread slowly throughout the room. Rin clenched his fists and turned to the door before leaving altogether. “Whatever.” As he walked away, the store’s windows frosted over.

“Uh, Cali?” Sadie started. “Are you--”

“Ugh! And there he goes!” She slammed her fists on the counter. “Can you believe him?” Her eyes darted between the two workers, whose expressions were a mixture of frightened and concerned, before she started pacing around the room. “First he acts like Cookies Cats being discontinued is  _ no big deal, _ then he walks off when I call him out on it!” She left footprint-shaped scorch marks everywhere she stepped.

“Yeah, but um… Weren’t you a little… hard on him?” Sadie leaned on the counter, but flinched when it was warmer than she expected.

“Huh?” She stopped in her place and turned to face Sadie.

“I don’t know, but it kind of looked like you hurt his feelings.”

“Really?”

Sadie turned to her coworker. “Help me out here, Lars!”

It was then that he burst out laughing. “You totally destroyed him!” He continued to chortle until it earned him a slap on the arm from Sadie.

“Well, maybe he deserved it.” Cali folded her arms and left the store without buying anything.

She didn’t really do anything wrong, right? Rin was always being that way; he’d always act like her problems were trivial, even when it was something like this. Cali had eaten Cookie Cats her whole life, ever since she was old enough to chew and swallow them. Now she would never get to eat another, and Rin acted like she was being ridiculous! She wasn’t overreacting, he--he was _ underreacting. _ That was it.

Cali arrived back at the temple after a short walk, only to find the window broken, with some sort of giant caterpillar creature hanging out. Immediately, she forgot all about Cookie Cats, and rushed in the house.

“Woah!”

Inside, the Crystal Gems were busy dispatching creatures like the one she’d found outside. Pearl danced gracefully about the room, kicking and slashing at the creatures with her spear. Amethyst swung her whip in wide arcs, hitting multiple monsters with each sweep. Meanwhile, Rose repelled the creatures’ attacks with ease using her shield, while also taking them out with her iconic sword.

“I wanna help!” Three pairs of eyes turned to her at the same time.

“Cali?”

“Sup.”

“Hi!”

“I have powers now, I can help!” Cali rushed to the center of the room excitedly, and grabbed one of the creatures in a bear hug. “I got this!”

“Yeah! Go Cali!” Amethyst cheered.

Rose squirmed a bit. “I-um… If you think you can do it, then…”

Pearl looked worriedly between Rose and Cali. It looked like she wanted to say something, but restrained herself.

Cali closed her eyes and focused on the feeling she got when she went running the other day. She squeezed the monster in her arms, remembering what it felt like when she activated her gem. Suddenly, there was a burst of light, and the creature started to scream so loud it rattled her eardrums. Still, she kept squeezing it until she felt it pop.

She opened her eyes, and noticed two things. First of all, she’d succeeded in destroying the monster. Secondly, she’d also succeeded in setting the rug on fire. 

“Ah, YEAH! Cali, you beast!” Amethyst cheered, as Pearl started stamping out the fires worriedly.

“Yeah, I  _ am _ a beast!”

“Cali…” Rose approached. “I am… so proud of you!” Her eyes twinkled, and her grin was almost as wide as Cali had ever seen it. “But that was a little dangerous, you know.”

“But you guys do dangerous stuff all the time! Now that I’m a  _ real _ crystal gem, I can help you!”

Pearl finished putting out the flames and stood fully back up, only a little scorched. “Cali, you were  _ always _ a real crystal gem. Powers or no powers.”

“Yeah! We would’ve loved you even if your gem  _ was _ useless!” Amethyst added, earning her a glare from Pearl.

“Which is why,” Rose said, “We don’t want you coming on missions just yet. Nobody wants to see you or your brother get hurt. Maybe after you can summon your weapon, and a little training…”

“How do I summon my weapon?” Cali looked between the three gems. 

“Um…”

“Well…”

“Nevermind that, for now.” Pearl interjected, as she snuck a wary glance at Rose. “We have a surprise for you!”

“I love surprises!”

“We know!” Rose hopped gleefully over to the fridge, the top of which was wrapped in colorful paper. “I can’t wait, come open it!”

Cali giggled as the gems gathered around the fridge. “You guys, this is awesome! What’s the occasion?” She started tearing through the paper.

“Well,” Pearl explained, “Your brother came to us a couple weeks ago, talking about some kind of ice cream.” 

Cali opened the freezer, and saw that it was full to the brim of nothing but Cookie Cats. Immediately, her face lit up like a star as she grabbed one out.

“Of course, we thought he was just making conversation, until he said that they were your favorite.”

She blanched. “Y-yeah?”

Rose picked the story up, still gleeful. “Rin told us that they were going to stop making them, but that there was a factory where we could still get them. So--”

Amethyst piped up. “So we went out and stole a bunch!”

Rose nodded happily.

“Oh.” Cali looked at the Cookie Cat in her hand, and put it back.

How did he know? He must have asked Sadie or Lars, but why would he? And how did he know where the Cookie Cat factory was? Cali had been eating them ever since she was little, and  _ she _ didn’t know; she was convinced that Sadie and Lars didn’t even know. How long had he been planning it? Why didn’t he tell her?  _ He wanted it to be a surprise. _

Did she really yell at her brother over an ice cream sandwich?

“I need to go fix something.”

“Huh?”

Cali stepped away, and turned to the door. “Ineedtogofixsomethingrightnow!”

Amethyst looked around the room, and, after a prolonged silence, had a realization. “Hey, aren’t we forgetting something?”

  
  
  


“RIN!” Cali sprinted around the beach, finding nothing but sand. “RIN!” Sadie was right, she really  _ was _ way too hard on him. Huffing for breath, she looked around, before taking off again toward the top of the hill that the temple sat in. Her brother liked to hang out in the lighthouse sometimes, so… maybe that’s where he went.

She approached the door. “Rin?” She reached for the handle: it was ice cold. Yep, Rin was here. She pulled on it, but the door seemed to be locked. Or frozen shut.

Luckily, Cali had the solutions to both of those problems. She reared back, and kicked it next to the handle, willing as much heat into her foot as she could. The wooden door was blasted completely off its hinges, and she rushed inside.

The higher up the stairs she climbed, the colder the air seemed to get. Normally, she’d be all for it--to be honest, it felt kind of nice--but given the circumstances, this cold meant that Rin was upset, and it was her fault. 

The ruby reached the door leading to the top chamber of the lighthouse. “Rin?”

“Go away, Cali. I’m not in the mood.”

“Rin... I shouldn’t have yelled at you. I’m--” The next few moments flew past Cali in a blur: the building shook violently as a boom erupted from the other room. There was a scream--Cali wasn’t sure if it was her or her brother if she was honest--and she broke through the doorway. One of the creatures the gems had been fighting had broken through the wall. The only difference was, it was huge: at least fifty times as big.

Acid dripped from the monster’s sharp, gaping maw as it snapped at Rin hungrily. His back was pressed up against the wall, and he had little room to spare.

Cali held out her hand. “Rin, over here!” 

He sidled toward her inch by inch, nearly making it to Cali, but the Monster thrashed about just before he grasped her hand. Bits of brick and wood collapsed around them, knocking Rin off balance. He fell to the floor, and barely rolled out of the way of the monster’s acid drool.

It snapped its jaw at the air, flecking corrosive saliva about the room. Underneath its massive head, Rin was trapped on all sides by acid, debris, and the monster itself. Cali stood there, feeling helpless, and could only assume Rin felt the same.

How could this happen? Where were the gems? Shouldn’t someone be there to help them? What could she even do? Cali didn’t have any powers, or at least any that could help in this situation. It’s not like she could hug this thing to death! She took a shaky step back, the stairwell looking more and more inviting.

Her eyes locked to Rin’s. For a moment, everything else stopped. Rin’s mouth moved in slow motion. “Go.”

She couldn’t beat something like this. She didn’t have a weapon, or all of her powers. She didn’t have super strength or an incredibly durable body. She wasn’t a real crystal gem.

_ You were  _ **_always_ ** _ a crystal gem. _

Cali’s fists clenched. Her feet widened, and her face hardened. She stepped toward the monster. “Hey! Jerk!”

Rin gave her a horrified look, but she brushed it off, as the attention of the monster was far more frightening.

But she didn’t have any room left for fear. Fear would have to wait outside, for now. Cali brought her fist back furiously. “That’s…” A red glow blasted through her fingertips. All of a sudden, her hand felt heavier, in a way that could only be described as natural. She stomped her foot down. “My BROTHER!”

Her punch pierced through its armored pincers, and somehow her hand survived the acid pooled inside. She pulled her hand back as the monster pulled its head out the hole it came in through. She held her free hand out to Rin, who stared up at her. “Cali… your weapon!”

“My…” It was then that she looked down at her hand, which was fully enveloped in a huge stone gauntlet. It shimmered with magic, and bore yellow stars on its knuckles. “My weapon!”

The creature screamed. 

“There’s no time for that, we need to go!”

Rin took Cali’s hand and she pulled him to his feet. The two of them all but sprinted down the stairs. They wasted no time in leaving the lighthouse, but just as they stepped outside, the monster exploded into a cloud of mist.

As the fog cleared, the twins noticed a figure standing where the monster had been, holding a big bubble.

The stranger’s attention fell to the children immediately. “Stars, are you two alright?” The woman had four eyes, and rainbow colored hair that fell to her knees. Though other descriptors could be used, the best words were beautiful: seemingly flawless.

“Uh, yeah.” Cali stepped away defensively. “Who are you?”

“Who…?” The woman giggled. “Oh, I see what’s going on.” Suddenly, she was enveloped in a bright, whitish pink. Her one figure melted apart into two, more familiar ones.

“Rose? Pearl?” Cali stumbled over her words.

“I have so many questions.” Rin agreed.

Rose’s grin widened. “That was Rainbow Quartz. She’s the fusion of me and Pearl!”

Pearl blushed slightly as Cali looked at her in awe.

“Wait, so let me get this straight.” Rin pinched the bridge of his nose. “You two can combine into one person?”

Rose and Pearl nodded in unison.

“That answers one of my questions, but raises so many others…”

“Oh! Guys, look, I summoned my…” Cali held up her hand, and found that her gauntlet was gone. “Huh.” She flexed her fingers. “Nevermind, I guess.”

The gems gave her a look, but didn’t push it.

“Anyway…” Cali turned to Rin. “I’m uh… I’m sorry I yelled at you earlier. I don’t actually think you’re heartless, I was just upset about the whole Cookie Cat thing and I kind of took it out on you.”

“No, I was egging you on. I didn’t mean to make you more upset.”

“So we’re all good then?”

“Yeah, we’re good.”

Rose cooed.

“What?” 

“It’s just that--you two are going to be so good at fusing some day!”

“Wait, what?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Thanks for reading. I was planning to keep this one sitting on the backburner until I was done writing the next chapter, but I just couldn't wait. I wanna hear what you guys think! I hope you liked this chapter!


	4. Book Buddies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin meets a new friend from out of town.

“Amethyst, that’s not going to fit in the fridge!”

“Sure it will, I just need to… make… a little room!” There was a crash. “There. See? Mmm… Giant omelete…”

Rin’s eye twitched as he turned the page.

“Pearl, Amethyst, have you seen Cali?”

“Not since she went on her run.” Amethyst plopped down on the couch beside him.

“I-I haven’t seen her either.” 

“Hm…” The room was thankfully silent for a while, allowing for Rin to read his book in peace.  _ The Two Towers _ wasn’t quite as good as  _ The Fellowship of the Ring  _ had been, but it was still great. “Rin?”

He tore his eyes away from the yellowed pages and placed his bookmark, closing away the story for the time being. “I don’t know where she is.” He stood up, and grabbed the bookbag sitting on the coffee table which, unfortunately, hadn’t had coffee on it for weeks. “But I’m starting to get hungry anyway, so I’ll go looking.”

“Oh. If that’s what you want to do…” Rose smiled supportively.

Rin just shrugged it off. Rose was often that way; she would act as if she was making a concentrated effort to let him and his sister do as they liked. He didn’t understand, but it probably wasn’t important, anyway.

“I’ll be back later.” He grabbed one of the heavier jackets out of the closet, and stepped outside.

It was still getting chillier every day, and though the weather wasn’t  _ terrible, _ the cold still sent a shiver through his coat and covered his arms in goosebumps. Rin shoved his hands in his pockets, and shrugged his bag further onto his shoulders before taking off toward town.

Despite the cool weather, the boardwalk was busy as ever. The Frymans (barring Renaldo, who was typing away at his laptop) were both busy at work frying their fries. There was a thin stream of fragrant smoke coming from Fish Stew Pizza’s exhaust. Sadie and Lars kept up their normal banter inside the Big Donut. Since Beach City was an awkward mixture between a tourist trap and an active battleground half of the time, their business came and went in opposition with the monsters. The only steady source of income were the anonymous permanent residents of the town, and even then, they preferred keeping to themselves. Rin supposed it was a learned behavior: one only gets caught in mortal danger so many times before they decide to just stay home.

Regardless, while Rin wasn’t particularly fond of either business’ main products, he bought from them anyway. He approached the outdoor counter, and knocked on the glass. “Hey, Peedee. Hey, Mr. Fryman.”

The young blonde elbowed his dad lightly in the arm before moving away from the fryers. “Hi, Rin. What’ll it be?”

“Medium Chili Fries, please.”

“Coming right up.” Peedee moved back to the fryers.

“Hey, do you think you could scrape together some bits for my sister, too?”

“You know those aren’t on the menu.”

“Yeah, I know. But I’ll pay you extra.”

The boy looked to his father, who shrugged and nodded toward the now-empty fryer.

“Fine.”

“Thanks.”

The man placed Rin’s order on the counter, and Rin gave him Greg’s card. He snacked on his fries while he waited for Mr. Fryman to return.

He came back and handed the card over. “Thank you for your patronage.”

“No problem, thanks for lunch.” He gave them a small wave before walking off, fries in hand.

If Rin knew his sister, and he did, she was probably off somewhere trying to summon her weapon again. That, or she was hanging out with Greg. Since he wasn’t sure where she might’ve gone if the former was true, he decided to test the latter. The  _ It’s a Wash! _ sign grew larger as he approached it. As he got closer, he heard a familiar song playing muffled through the van’s closed doors.

He knocked on the back doors, and they opened abruptly.

“Hey there, bud. Me and Cali were just listening to some of my old CD’s. You want in?” Greg smiled at him.

“Normally, I’d be all for it, but I think the gems wanted to see Cali.”

His sister’s eyes snapped to attention immediately. “Oh! I’d better go, then.”

“Oh.” Greg’s face sobered slightly, but he smiled to the twins anyway. “Well, I don’t want to keep you two away from your gem stuff. Good luck.”

Cali hugged him before leaving the Van. “See ya, Dad! I’ll come see you again soon!”

“Bye, Greg. It was nice to see you.”

“Heh. See you later, pal.”

Rin backed out of the Van and turned toward the temple, only to see Cali eyeing him.

“What?” The two of them started home.

“You know you can call him Dad, right?”

“He’s not actually our father.”

“Yeah, but… Just because he’s not our  _ father _ doesn’t mean he’s not our  _ Dad _ .”

“That doesn’t make any sense, Cali.”

She huffed. “He practically raised us, though. Doesn’t that mean anything?”

“What he did is whatever Rose asked him to.” He sighed. “Look, I love him just as much as you do. It’s just--it doesn’t feel right calling him  _ Dad _ when our real father is out there somewhere.”

Cali clenched her fists. “Dad  _ is  _ our real father.”

Rin felt a slight wave of heat, and decided to drop it. He’d had this talk with Greg before, and they’d come to an agreement already. He didn’t get why Cali was so worked up over it.

The two of them climbed the stairs in silence, and entered the house in a similar fashion. Rin looked over to the fridge, which was dripping with egg yolk--he’d probably have to clean that later if Pearl didn’t--and then back to the gems.

“Ah, there you are!” Rose stood up and clasped her hands together. “Since you’re having trouble summoning your weapon again, I thought that maybe we could help you.”

Rin exhaled, scooping up the rest of the chili with his last fry, before he moved to the trash can. He dropped the tray in, before turning back toward the door. 

“Here, Cali. These are actually for you.” He handed her the fry bits he’d bought. “I actually have some reading to catch up on. See you guys later.”

He left without waiting for a response.

Of course they just wanted Cali. Every time he brought up the subject of his weapon, the gems would always deflect to some other topic. Originally, he thought they were concerned that the twins wouldn’t ever develop powers, but that theory went out the window as soon as Cali first summoned her weapon. Since that day, he’d heard a thousand stories about Ruby’s fabled gauntlet, but never a single word about Sapphire’s weapon.

Why? Rin figured the answer was probably obvious, as much as he wished it wasn’t. The reason the gems had never told him about his mother’s weapon was because she didn’t have one. And that meant that neither did he. Rin didn’t know what this meant for his future as a crystal gem, but he was certain it wouldn’t be spectacular.

He found a spot underneath the cliff face adjacent to the temple, and sat down with his book.

For Rin, Frodo was much more of a compelling character than somebody like Gandalf, or Aragorn, or Legolas. Not because he was particularly valliant or powerful, but rather because he wasn’t; the only things he had going for him were his determination and lack of greed, after all. It just so happened that those things were exactly what the world needed, and Frodo filled the shoes, even if he didn’t feel he was big enough to fit in them.

“Oh! I didn’t realize that anyone else liked to read here.”

“Well, I do.” He didn’t look up from his book.

Likewise, Sam was one of his favorites, too. Even in the world of fiction, people like him, who have such integrity as to accompany his friend to their deaths, are few and far in between.

“Do… you mind if I sit and read with you?”

It was then that Rin looked up and saw the person talking to him. It was a girl, and she was holding a bookbag similar to his. 

“Um… Sure?”

“Okay! I mean, uh--thank you.” As she sat down, she shivered. “Wow, it’s really cold over here.”

“Oh.” Rin rolled over, and picked up the coat he’d been sitting on. “Here, you can wear this.”

“Aren’t you going to get cold?”

“I’m used to it.”

She took it. “I-If you say so.” It was silent for a while. “So, um…” She pushed her glasses up on her face. “What are you reading?”

He handed her the book.

“Woah, Lord of the Rings? Do you have all three? Where did you get them? I’ve been trying to get my hands on these books for ages!”

“Are they really that rare?”

“No… My parents said they were ‘too mature’ for me.” She handed the book back to him.

“I see. Well, what are you reading?”

“Oh!” Her face lit up. “These are my favorite books  _ ever! _ ” She reached into her bag and pulled out a stack of books. “The Spirit Morph Saga!”

Rin scrunched up his nose. “Isn’t that a graphic novel series?”

She gasped. “No!” She flinched at her own voice. “I-I mean, the graphic novels were a spin-off, and they were pretty terrible. The books are amazing!”

“I… didn’t even know that it was a real book series.”

“Seriously?! You  _ have  _ to read it!”

“Hm…” Rin put his book back in his bag, and pulled another out. “I have an idea. I’ve already read all of these books a few times. How about I lend you  _ The Fellowship of the Ring _ for a while, and…”

“And I can lend you  _ The Unfamiliar Familiar!” _ She smiled excitedly at him. For some reason, Rin’s chest felt a little lighter.

The two of them exchanged their books, and got to reading.

“I’m Rin, by the way.”

“Connie.” 

_ Unfamiliar Familiar  _ started slowly, as a great number of novels did. It took its time describing the protagonist’s environment, before revealing her name. Lisa was about Rin’s age, and perfectly normal by all means. She lived in a small house with her father, went to school every day, and liked the feeling of the wind blowing through her room’s window.

One day, her father miraculously disappeared, and beings cloaked in shadow started to pursue her. Luckily, as it turned out, Lisa was no ordinary girl; a falcon appeared from thin air to protect her, before whisking her away into a world of magic.

Lisa became a witch who could fend for herself, and despite missing her father and friends terribly, she realized that she had a lot of work to do. She saved mystical creatures that the shadows attempted to prey upon. She fought alongside Archimicarus to protect the people she’d left behind. She learned and grew and became somebody her father would have been proud of.

Rin turned the final page, flinching when he found the hardcover end of the book.

“Oh. Huh.” He looked around, and saw that the sun was starting to set over the ocean.

Connie glanced up from her book. “Did you finish it already?”

Rin nodded, staring at the last page.

“And… well? What did you think?” 

He closed the book and sat it gently in the sand. “I think… You were right.”

“Hm?”

“It was pretty great.”

“Right?!” She set her own book down and stood up. “The way they set up Lisa’s character to make her seem like she’d be a damsel in distress, only to have her turn out ot be the hero.”

“Or how it’s implied that Archimicarus was with her the whole time, even before she became a real witch?”

“YES!” She moved to her bag. “I have the other two books in here too, so if you want, you can--” Suddenly, the ground rumbled. “Woah. Did you feel that?”

It rumbled again. “Yeah, I felt it.” Rin looked around. It was getting late, and these felt distinctly like gem-related earthquakes. “We should probably get somewhere safe.”

“B-but--my parents are expecting me soon--I should probably…”

Rin felt an ache from behind his eyes that only continued to grow in intensity. He pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Are… you alright?”

“Yeah, I just…” That familiar haze passed through Rin’s vision. “Ugh, random headache.”

“Does this… often?”

“Huh?”

“Because if… headaches… might have… kind of…”

The veil cleared from his vision instantly. 

_ The… more violently… a spiderweb of cracks… the cliff face… statue’s hair… break off… crush Connie. _

_ Crush Rin… _

_ Crush both... _

_ Destroy the books… _

_ Plummet harmlessly into the sand… _

“My mom says that chronic headaches are--”

“We need to move!” Rin scooped up both of their bags and grabbed Connie’s hand as another earthquake cracked the surface layer of the cliff. The ground’s vibrating was nearly enough to throw the two of them off balance, but not quite. 

“Rin, what are you…?”

They stopped a good distance away from the cliff; as they did, the earth stilled. The cliff, however, was not done. A piece of the temple statue’s hair plummeted into the sand, spraying debris everywhere.

“Oh my gosh!” Connie let go of Rin’s hand and held it to her mouth. “We almost died, but you…” She stared. “How did you know that was going to happen?”

“I don’t…” He caressed the gem in his hand through his gloves. “I don’t know.”

“My--um… My parents are probably really worried about me.” It was quiet.

Of course she wouldn’t stick around. “Right…” Rin handed over her bookbag.

“Hey, I have an idea!” She crouched down and started digging through it. “I don’t have a cellphone, and I don’t remember my family’s landline phone number, but…” She pulled out what appeared to be the sequel to  _ Unfamiliar Familiar. _ “I’ll give this to you for now.”

Rin’s eyebrows narrowed in confusion. “Aren’t those your favorite books, though?”

“Yeah. That’s why I’m going to come looking for you next time I’m in town.”

“Oh. Oh!” Rin started going through his things, as well. “Here. You can finish reading  _ The Fellowship of the Ring _ , and then you can read the second one in the series.”

“Hm… I’ll have to hide them when I’m at home… But, that shouldn’t be a problem.”

Rin realized he was grinning way too widely. “Okay, then…”

“Right…”

“So, um…” 

“Bye for now, Rin.”

“B-bye, Connie.” She turned and walked away, unknowingly still wearing the jacket he gave her.

Rin blinked as the usual haze passed back over his vision. He grabbed his bookbag and started back toward the temple.

He opened the door to see the gems surrounding Cali, each one of their faces painted with awe. As he caught her eye, she turned and pumped her fist into the air, her now iconic stone gauntlet sparkling with magic. “I did it!”

Rin smiled at her. “Of course you did.” The two shared a high five before the group's normal banter returned in full. He realized that his smile was genuine, but that thought didn't change anything: somehow, he felt warm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I hope you liked this chapter! I would love to hear any and all thoughts or questions you may have about what's happened so far.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Have a good day!

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be a long one. I'm in the process of laying out specific plans for chapters, but I have most of the events floating around in my head. Plus, character diagrams. Who doesn't love those?
> 
> If you liked what you just read, or found it interesting, or are even slightly not completely opposed to it, then great! If you don't fall into any of those categories then this might not be your kind of thing.
> 
> Expect more from me soon! I've got two mini chapters ready that I'll release as I progress more on the first real chapter. I think updates might be kind of rare, but seeing as Christmas break is coming up, that might not end up being the case. We'll just have to wait and see.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Have a nice day!


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